Viewpoint: Flying High at MidAmerica Airport
BELLEVILLE, IL (June 8, 2000) -- The arrival of Pan Am at MidAmerica Airport is great news for the region and a triumph for the people who had the vision to build the airport.
Landing the first airline at a new airport obviously is not an easy task. MidAmerica has been open for two years; the absence of a regular user generated a lot of skepticism and second guessing.
Still, St. Clair County officials wisely were patient and did not agree to costly financial incentives such as guaranteeing ticket sales to bring in an airline. The only incentives for Pan Am are reduced airport fees, which will increase to the full price over time.
Now that Pan Am has signed on, MidAmerica Airport can begin to shed its white elephant image and focus on growth and expansion.
Of course it is going to take more than three scheduled flights a day to make converts of many of the skeptics. But we don't think it will take long for a successful operator — and there is every reason to believe Pan Am will be successful — to convince other airlines of the advantages of flying out of MidAmerica. They include: easy access to the terminal, no long waits to be cleared for take-off and landing and free long-term parking.
MidAmerica is only slightly farther from downtown St. Louis than is Lambert-St. Louis International Airport — closer in time, no doubt, when you factor in the ease of getting in and out of MidAmerica.
Good luck to Pan Am as it gets ready to begin flights August 16. And congratulations to the people who have worked so hard to make this dream of a metroeast airport take flight.
Editorial Viewpoint provided by
the Belleville News-Democrat
June 8, 2000
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